Nod and Acacia
by Christina1997
Summary: All is well and MK is still a leafperson, now living with Nod, and then Acacia comes along. Acacia's and Nod's pasts are tightly linked, but when Nod's secrets and hers are revealed, can they forgive each other? Heads up, there are Nod and MK scenes, as well as parts with the new queen and new characters are introduced. An overprotective Ronin is also involved!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So I wrote this after I watched the movie on tv. I really don't like the ending so I figure it would be happily ever after and then more into Nod's past. :) I hope you guys likey and I'm sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes! For those of you who know I am working on an NCIS: Los Angeles fanfiction, only after I used Kallan did I realize the similarity but I hope you guys don't mind. Excuse my choice of names by the way. Acacia is pronounced "Akaseeya". Anyways, please enjoy and review ;)**

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"Nod, Nod wake up, you're having a nightmare" Mary Katherine (MK) said to Nod, giving him a shake. The sun was rising and she knew that soon Ronin would pass by to get Nod, and if Nod wasn't awake yet Ronin would not be pleased. As she lay next to him she thought about the events of the past year. It had been a year since the pod opened, she was still 2 inches tall, and Mandrake was gone. All had become peaceful and the new queen, Queen Lydia, was a year older. Even though the young queen was still a girl of 10 years, her tiny form radiated kindness, goodness, and purity. Ronin was back to commanding the leafmen and Nod was now officially one of them. Mary Katherine was so proud of him, and even though she missed her father, she was happy to have stayed with the leaf people. They welcomed her with open arms and she was happy to be part of their civilization.

"Huh, what? What time is it?" Nod grumbled still half asleep.

"Nod get up, you have to go help Ronin with trainings" MK said as she nudged Nod until he fell off the side of the bed.

"Oww" Nod whined getting up off the floor. He climbed onto the bed and gave MK a kiss before he started to get ready for his day with Ronin. Ronin and him were on much better terms and they had become, sort of, friends. _Sort of_. He knew that Mary Katherine missed her father, but he was happy to have her with him. Nod hoped that one day she would be the one to carry his child, but it had only been a year and both of them knew it was too soon.

"Nod, hey wait, before you go, what was your dream about?" MK asked, curious as to what had shaken him so bad that he lay sweating and whimpering in his sleep.

"I can't remember my dreams, no matter how bad they may be" Nod said giving MK a soft, reassuring smile.

"Nod, move it!" Ronin screamed from somewhere in the air. "Good morning Mary Katherine" he then shouted at MK, seeing that Nod was talking to her.

"Take care of him for me" MK shouted back, causing Nod to give her a face.

"I can hold my own" Nod said with a funny expression on his face.

"I will" Ronin said laughing. "Come on Nod, I'm not just gonna wait all day for you to decide to join me" Ronin said raising an eyebrow at Nod. Nod shook his head laughing and called for the hummingbird that was now his.

"Love you babe" Nod said as he flew away. MK shook her head. Her man was definitely a wild one.

Ronin and Nod reached the training site and were surprised to see that the amount of new recruits was incredibly high. Men and women, tall, short, wide, and lean all stood waiting to hear what their first part of training would be. Ronin and Nod got off their birds smiling at all the new people that they would have to train.

"I know a lot of people here is good, but did there have to be so many?" Nod asked cringing at the thought of having to deal with all of them. Ronin chuckled and scanned the faces of all the recruits. His eyes narrowed when a young women with brown, wavy hair till the waist, a fit form, and grey eyes walked through all the new recruits and straight towards Nod and himself. She didn't look like she was part of the new recruit group. She wore a light blue dress that was tight at the waist, had elbow long sleeves, and swayed from the waist down as she moved towards them. The young girl also had a type of messenger bag swung diagonally across her shoulder.

"Who's that?" Ronin asked quietly more to himself than to Nod.

"She looks a lot like—" Nod started to say, but stopped short of a name.

"Like who?" Ronin hissed back getting impatient while the young girl got closer.

"Kallan's sister" Nod whispered. He looked confused at the girl's appearance here. Ronin, on the other hand, was amused and interested in the young girl. What was her place and how come he had never seen her before? Surely after all these years he would recognize everyone living in this kingdom. "Acacia?" Nod asked unsurely when the girl reached them and stood before them.

"Nod" she said smiling. '_Gosh her smile is beautiful'_ Ronin thought to himself. She was obviously way too young for him but something about her reminded him so much of Tara.

"Acacia, this is Ronin, commander of all warrior leafmen and leafwomen" Nod said introducing the young girl to Ronin.

"Pleased to meet you" Ronin said offering his hand to her. Acacia glanced at it and just nodded to acknowledge it, but she did not offer her hand at any point in time.

"Acacia" Nod hissed as Ronin kept his hand there expecting the girl to shake it. Acacia simply glared at Nod as if to make sure he realized she was not under any circumstance going to shake the man's hand. As an uncomfortable silence set in, Ronin dropped his hand and Acacia stopped glaring at Nod.

"How have you been, Acacia?" Nod stammered out, trying to break the silence, but Acacia ignored his question and looked Ronin up and down as if to assess him. Something about Acacia or who she was made Nod nervous around her, and it was killing Ronin to figure out what.

"You two know each other then?" Ronin asked looking pointedly at Nod who looked down avoiding Ronin's piercing eyes.

"She—we—um" was all Nod could get out until he gave up trying to explain anything.

"I was told to ask Commander Ronin here for an escort to the Budding Meadows and back" Acacia said in a clear voice, obviously very sure of herself, "I told the queen, when I went to ask permission and explain my situation, that I would be fine on my own but even as the 10 year old girl she is, she insisted that ,considering I am her friend, I come to you and ask you for an escort." Nod could tell that Acacia was annoyed by the fact that she had to go with an escort. He knew Acacia well enough to know that she felt she could take care of herself, and she probably could, but he wouldn't know. Nod hadn't seen Acacia for at least 7 years.

"I understand the queen's concern. The Budding Meadows isn't the safest place to go" Ronin said, wondering what the young girl could want from that place. The Budding Meadows was a place where rare herbs grew and dangerous incantations were practiced. Leaf people of all strange types with strange 'gifts' lived in the area, and the meadows themselves were huge. "What could you possibly seek there?" Ronin asked, letting his curiosity get the best of him while he told himself he was only asking for the sake of his warrior's safety.

"What I seek is none of your business" Acacia spit out, suddenly seeming angry.

"The safety of my warriors is my business" Ronin retaliated, starting to get annoyed. What the hell did the girl want from there, and why was it such a secret? Whoever he sent with her would figure it out and report back to him anyways.

"Ronin" Nod said quickly, suddenly part of the conversation, "Send Jonah to go with her and you'll get a report back later." Ronin nodded and looked around, searching for the familiar face of his second in command.

"Jonah" Ronin called out when he saw his well-built, blond friend scanning through the recruits as he himself had been doing earlier. Jonah came jogging his way and slowed down when he saw Acacia standing with Ronin and Nod. When Jonah reached them he politely introduced himself to Acacia with a wave of the hand. Acacia smiled and gave him her name in return. "Jonah, you will escort Acacia to the Budding Meadows and back, and I expect you to report to me when you return" Ronin commanded.

"Oh, so now I'm an escort?" Jonah asked agitated.

"She is the queen's friend and you will bring her there and bring her back safely" Ronin said, ending Jonah's rant before it could even start. Acacia walked away from the three men giving them some space to sort out what was going to happen. Ronin knew that Jonah was hoping to help with the training of the recruits, but he would trust no one else with Acacia. There was something about her that radiated importance of some sort and Ronin was not going to let her go with a sucker of an escort who couldn't protect her for his life.

"What are we going for?" Jonah asked. Ronin and Nod both hoped he wouldn't ask, but of course anyone in their right mind would ask the obvious question.

"No clue" Ronin and Nod said simultaneously causing Jonah to look at them both with complete confusion.

"Now go, I want the two of you back before nightfall. And please, be careful! No one knows exactly what lurks in the shadows of the Budding Meadows" Ronin warned, taking a second to glance at Acacia who seemed to be far off in her own thoughts. Jonah bowed slightly to Ronin and then turned to go towards Acacia. To Ronin's surprise Nod ran out ahead of Jonah and stopped at Acacia's side. He slowly walked to stand in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. Ronin couldn't see Acacia's face and it bothered him. What was Nod doing? It looked like he was speaking to her, but Acacia stood completely still. Just when Jonah reached them, Nod gave Acacia a light shake and retracted his hands before she could slap them away. Jonah was about to touch Acacia's shoulder to get her attention, but her reflexes had her turned around and backed up before his hand could even reach. Ronin watched them closely. It looked as if other than Nod, she couldn't have anyone else touch her.

"You ready to go?" Ronin could hear Jonah say to Acacia. Acacia simply nodded and followed Jonah to his bird which sat perched and ready. He watched Jonah and Acacia fly off before him and Nod made eye contact, signaling to each other the start of recruitment training week.

"Recruits" They both shouted, and so training started.

Nightfall was coming down upon them and the recruits had gone home hungry, tired, and sore. They still had the rest of the week to go and they knew it. Ronin and Nod were starting to get worried. Jonah and Acacia hadn't returned yet, and even though they didn't know why Acacia needed to go to the Budding Meadows, it couldn't take this long could it? The last ray of sun was starting to disappear and Nod had been pacing like crazy, honestly it was driving Ronin nuts.

"Nod, stop pacing damnit!" He said shooting his hand out to grip Nod's shoulder, effectively stopping his pacing. "What's your deal with her anyways?"

"What deal? No deal. We're fine" Nod answered, his voice wavering.

"Yeah, you guys are obviously best friends" Ronin said sarcastically. Something was flying in the partial sun, partial darkness and as it got closer Ronin and Nod sighed in relief to see it was Jonah's bird. The relief, however, was short-lived when it could be seen that the one flying the bird was Acacia, and that Jonah was slumped over the bird's body in front of Acacia.

"Acacia" Nod yelled waving his arms to get her to land the bird where he stood. The bird started to go downwards and its landing was a bit of a stumble onto the platform where Nod and Ronin stood. Once it was down Ronin and Nod ran towards where it had stopped. Acacia was climbing off rather difficultly and Jonah was unconscious. When Ronin and Nod reached the first thing Ronin did was check Jonah. He had multiple scratches on him and a big lump on his head.

"He's okay, the scratches aren't so bad, it's just the lump on his head" Acacia said, breathing heavily and seeing Ronin's concern displayed all over his face. Nod reached for Acacia to see if he could help her, but she stepped back.

"Acacia, what the hell happened?" Nod asked her quietly. He wasn't angry at her, just worried for her. She looked so frightened and shocked, as if she was reliving whatever had happened. Ronin, in the meantime, had picked up Jonah and was taking him to the healing center. When Ronin got back, Nod was still standing with Acacia and trying to figure out what happened out there.

"You brought one of my best men back, unconscious and all scratched up. What the HELL did you need from out there?" Ronin yelled, raising his voice at Acacia. Acacia wouldn't look at Nod or Ronin, she just stared at the ground breathing heavily. "I ASKED YOU A DAMNED QUESTION! ANSWER ME!" Ronin yelled once more, not even causing Acacia to flinch.

"Ronin" Nod said raising his voice at his friend, "look at her". When Ronin took a good look at her he saw that there was blood staining the front of her dress, and that there was a large gash across her forehead. He couldn't see her back and didn't bother looking, but Nod was right, she wasn't in good shape either. When Acacia finally looked at Nod and Ronin she had tears in her eyes. Her eyes held great confusion, anger, and pain. She held on tightly to her messenger bag which was still in incredibly good shape.

"What's in the bag?" Ronin asked her trying to reach for her, but again she backed up, this time tripping over her own feet. "Whoa hey, I won't hurt you, I'm Nod's friend, remember?" he said trying to reassure her, but she seemed in no way reassured.

"Ronin, that is not a good way to make her feel any better" Nod said to Ronin, again making him curious as to how Nod knew Acacia and what happened between the two of them. Acacia made an attempt to get up, but her legs would not support her and she fell back down.

"Nod—" she said, her pleading voice barely audible. She was about to continue, but her breathing became even more labored and a coughing fit took over to the point where she was coughing up black blood. Ronin and Nod both knew that it was surely not supposed to be that dark.

"Acacia, let me help you please" Nod pleaded, his voice breaking. He was freaking out inside and her reluctance to let them help or let anyone touch her at all was frustrating him. The black blood ran down her neck and stained her dress that was, by now, beyond saving. Acacia's energy was decreasing and she looked about to pass out. If she could just pass out already so one of them could take her to the healing center!

"Brother" she said so quietly that Ronin and Nod almost missed it. Nod recoiled as if she had shoved him, hard.

"Brother, did she say?" Ronin said looking at Nod. Nod's eyes looked as if they could fall out of their sockets at any moment. "Did she just call you her brother?"

"She's mistaken. She must think I'm Kallan or something" Nod mumbled, knowing he was lying. The last thing he wanted to do was lie to Ronin, especially since he was such a father figure in his life, but this had to do with some stuff in his childhood he did not feel like sharing. Acacia started to cough again, getting the attention of both Ronin and Nod again. More black blood came out of her mouth and her grip on her messenger bag was starting to loosen.

"Screw this" Ronin muttered, bending down to her level and reaching for her arms. He did it slowly to make sure she didn't shrink away from him. Acacia groaned some but didn't have enough strength left to pull away. Ronin realized this and quickly but gently picked her up. She coughed some more getting blood on his clothes but he didn't care as he walked quickly with her to the healing center. In the process, Acacia had let go of the messenger bag and Nod made sure to pick it up before he followed after Ronin. When reaching the healing center, Mother Lorellei glared at Ronin. Mother Lorellei was the healer of their civilization. She was a small woman with graying hair and light blue eyes. Her hair was always in a braid reaching down to her lower back, and her face was a kind one which could become an angry one very easily. She was slightly chubby and wore the known healer's dress (a green dress with a brown patch shaped like a heart on the lower back).

"Damn you boy, what have you done to the poor girl?" She said angrily while Ronin placed Acacia on one of the beds. "First bringing in Jonah and then this young girl…" she mumbled on.

"I didn't do any—" Ronin started to say but Mother Lorellei cut him off.

"Hush boy" she said quickly. Mother Lorellei's hands hovered over Acacia's body from top to bottom while she tried to figure out what exactly was wrong with the young girl. Mother Lorellei's face showed confusion as she let her hands hover over Acacia again, this time stopping at Acacia's stomach. She closed her eyes in concentration and not a second later, pulled her hands back as if something had hurt her. "Black magic" she whispered, eyes wide. "Who did this child anger" she said more to herself.

Acacia's breathing was now loud and heavy. It was as if she couldn't seem to take in enough oxygen. Nod stood leaning against a wall, looking nervously at Acacia. What exactly had Acacia gone to get? He wondered for a split second and then realized he was holding her messenger back. He looked to Ronin and noticing that the man wasn't looking, carefully opened the bag. The bag held at least ten different vials with what looked like some type of wisps in them. Just when Nod was about to take a vial out of the bag, Ronin talked and startled him.

"Nod, do you have any idea who she might've gone to? What she might have asked for?" Ronin said looking at the messenger bag. Ronin walked over to Nod with determined steps and yanked the bag from his grasp. He then walked back to the bed Acacia was on and emptied the bags contents on the bed next to it. Ronin's confusion mirrored Nod's as they both stood and looked at all the vials. The moment Mother Lorellei saw them she gasped.

"Dear child, whose are those?" She asked Acacia, trying to get her attention so that she could answer. "Whose are those" Mother Lorellei urged. Acacia gave no answer, her eyes still closed as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"What are these things? What's in them?" Ronin asked Mother Lorellei, making note of her sudden paleness and shock.

"No no no" Mother Lorellei mumbled shaking her head and bustling about grabbing different things from different shelves.

"Can I help?" Ronin asked, hoping that there was something he could do.

"Leave child" Mother Lorellei said with irritation.

"But—" Nod started, getting ready to go into an argument.

"LEAVE" Mother Lorellei yelled back, shaking up the entire healing center. Mother Lorellei's eyes looked like iceRonin had known her to be annoyed and irritated, but never raging. The fact that she had screamed shocked him. Ronin and Nod backed out of the healing center while Mother Lorellei kept mumbling and running around in the healing center.

"Nod, what do you think happened out there?" Ronin asked, his voice soft.

"I don't know, but whatever happened couldn't have been good cause she's paying for it…big time…" Nod replied carefully, realizing that whatever Acacia had started was far from its end. From afar Nod could hear MK coming towards him and Ronin. She was still a bit clumsy, making it easy for him to know when she was around.

"Nod! Nod I just heard about Jonah and a mystery girl coming back, both injured. Do you know what happened? Do you know who she is?" MK said coming to a stop between Ronin and Nod.

"Her name is Acacia, and she's my sister" Nod said under his breath, hoping that neither had heard him. Luck was not in the cards for him that day, because when he turned to look at MK, Ronin was glaring at him. He had heard him and he was angry.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello peoples! Here is my Chapter 2 for Epic and it took me a while but I'm pretty satisfied with it. Ronin has some serious anger throughout the chapter, but then it gets redirected at the end. As always, excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes and I hope you likey! :)**

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Nod regretted saying it out loud the moment he saw Ronin's face. Ronin was fuming but was trying to stay civil for MK's sake. MK looked up to Nod, brows knit together as if having heard a noise but not being sure it was Nod.

"Did you say something?" MK asked, then taking the time to look at Ronin who looked like he could kill.

"Her name is Acacia" Nod repeated, not ready to repeat the rest just yet. MK looked back at the healing center pleased with his answer and not daring to ask Ronin why he was so angry at Nod. Nod cleared his throat louder than was intended and then tugged on MK's arm.

"Come on babe, let's go home and get some rest" he said while already starting to pull MK away.

"Alright" she agreed, "Good night Ronin, see you tomorrow." MK pulled her arm from Nod's grasp and quickly pecked Ronin on the cheek before walking home with Nod. Nod seemed tense and Ronin angry and it was tugging at her to know what was going on, but she knew it wasn't her place.

Once they got home, she was basically dying to know what it was about that girl that had Ronin angry and Nod quiet.

"Nod sweetheart, is something else wrong? Do you know Acacia?" MK asked gently. She did not want to push Nod, but she really wanted to know. Nod slowly but hesitantly shook his head at her, making her very much aware of the fact that he was not being truthful with her. Nod had always been honest with her about everything, and now this new mysterious girl was here and Nod was different, Ronin was different, and Jonah was hurt. Whatever was going on, this Acacia girl was right at the center.

Nod and MK didn't talk anymore after that and both fell fast asleep. While they slept, Ronin still stood outside the healing center waiting to hear about Acacia's strange condition and Jonah's. It was very early morning when Mother Lorellei finally called him in. She looked tired but satisfied with whatever she had managed to accomplish.

"Jonah is fine. I cleaned his cuts and made sure that his bruises are only external. He is concussed and must take it easy for the next few days but I know him to be a man of determination, so I know a concussion surely will not stop him. My dear boy, why was it and is it always you who brings people in here with the strangest or most mysterious of things" Mother Lorellei said to him, a sigh escaping her.

"What about the girl? Acacia" Ronin prodded. The fact that Mother Lorellei hadn't said anything about Acacia worried him yet made him curious as to what she knew about the condition Acacia was in. Whatever had happened to Acacia had been 'black magic' according to Mother Lorellei and that was rare. On the other hand, going into the Budding Meadows was rare all on its own.

"Boy, you need to tell me what she was doing in the Budding Meadows" Mother Lorellei whispered, as if afraid someone would hear her say 'Budding Meadows' and punish her for it.

"I don't know, she wouldn't say" Ronin said back, feeling like a complete idiot for letting Jonah and Acacia go into the Budding Meadows and without knowing why they were there.

"What were those vials?" He asked quickly. He wanted to get as much out of Mother Lorellei as he could.

"Go home, take a shower, rest, you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow" Mother Lorellei responded, ignoring his question, "Jonah will be able to join you tomorrow but you will have to go easy on him." She raised an eyebrow as if to wait for agreement so Ronin nodded to her, said thank you, and then left to go home. Acacia was plaguing his thoughts and it was driving him nuts. The excitement of the day trumped his thoughts of her though so once he hit the sheets, he was fast asleep.

Morning came and was as bright as ever. Nod woke to find MK no longer next to him and panicked until he realized that she was making breakfast. He could smell the eggs and toast from where he lay and it made his stomach rumble. The fact that the day looked so normal bothered him because considering the amount of confusion that await him and Ronin…my God…Ronin…he would have to face Ronin. Unlike MK, Ronin had heard him mutter those dreadful words that he had hoped never to be heard by any living being. Nod was in no way ashamed of Acacia, but she deserved better.

"I can feel you thinking, get in here" MK laughed and said to Nod who was in the bedroom. MK always managed to know when he was asleep and when he was no longer asleep. He didn't know how she did it but he didn't care, he loved her and that was all that mattered to him.

Doing what MK told him to do, he got up, got dressed and walked into their small kitchen area. He walked in to see her loading food onto two plates. Nod couldn't help but smile at her and her effort to make breakfast that morning.

"Eat up, you don't have long before Ronin get's here" she said smiling warmly at him. She put the pans all in the sink and put water in them before she walked to their dining table and gave Nod a loud smooch. Nod's smile could only get bigger. His love for MK was always growing. Nod had just finished and was brushing his teeth when he heard Ronin's yelling.

"Nod, get your backside out here and let's go" he yelled, sounding angry. Nod knew that Ronin would not let it go but he had hoped that Ronin had at least cooled off some. When he came out of the bathroom he found MK giving Ronin a paper bag.

"This is breakfast and lunch for you. I don't want you to go hungry and I know yesterday was stressful with the recruits" She offered kindly. She was always so oblivious to his anger and he was always very grateful to her. She had chosen to stay with them and had become his sort of daughter here in our world.

"Thank you Mary Katherine" Ronin said to her, taking the paper bag and giving her a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Nod! Don't just stand there let's go" he then yelled seeing Nod watching the exchange. The blissful moment was gone and Ronin's soft side was again well hidden. Nod shook his head at the quick change and jogged over to MK.

"Love you babe" Nod said, giving MK a kiss on her cheek.

"Love you too" she said putting her hand to his cheek.

"It is all very sweet, but we have to go. NOD MOVE IT" Ronin said, yelling the last bit. Nod then kissed MK's palm and ran out to his bird. MK watched them fly away and sighed. She loved her man and would do all she could to help him with anything he wanted. If only he would talk to her…

When Ronin and Nod reached the training site the recruits looked incredibly exhausted.

"Good morning fellas" Ronin said happily. He was enjoying their pain and there was no hiding it. They all groaned in response which was definitely the wrong thing to do.

"Recruits! GET DOWN AND GIVE ME 50 PUSHUPS" Ronin yelled, scaring them all. But slowly, they all dropped down and started to do their pushups in unison. Nod stood in silence and watched with his hands behind his back. He had wanted to check on Acacia before he started, but he figured that his presence might aggravate her and she was supposed to be recovering.

By the time they finished, most could not lift themselves off of the ground. The ones that managed to stand helped the others stand and when they all stood again Ronin spoke.

"I said good morning recruits" he repeated.

"Good morning Commander" they all responded in unison, understanding what they had done wrong.

"You're learning" Ronin observed. After basically beating up Nod and calling it a demonstration of sorts, Ronin partnered up the recruits and had them try to get their opponents down with a certain move. Nod hadn't uttered a word and was now also sore. He was now sporting a bruise on his left hip and a bruised cheek.

Ronin walked by two opponents who were really getting into it but not getting far. He stopped to watch them to see how they were doing. The one was obviously weaker than the other and kept getting put down on the ground before he could manage anything. Ronin called the weaker one over to him.

"What is your name young man?" Ronin asked, trying not to seem too much of a hard-ass, afraid he would scare the young man.

"Peter Rollins sir" the man responded. The man was of average height and build though he didn't seem to know how to use it to his advantage. He had dark blond hair and fair colored skin.

"I'm really trying sir" the man continued quietly. Pete felt the shame radiating off him. Commander Ronin must think him a weakling, he hadn't bested his partner once.

"You get better every time you have a go at it, Peter" Ronin said with a smile that looked creepishly genuine.

"Really sir?"

"Nope! Try harder" Ronin said gruffly, the smile disappearing and giving Pete a shove back towards opponent. While he continued walking and observing, he took the time to look at Nod. He knew that Nod probably didn't deserve the beating he had given him, but he was angry at him. When Acacia had called him her brother yesterday he had lied and said she was mistaken or confused. Nod had not lied to him ever since he rejoined the leafmen the year before. Ronin trusted Nod and to have him lie like that about something like that, after Ronin had _asked_ him, it really pissed him off and rightfully so.

Ronin made his way around the where Nod still stood watching the recruits and cleared his throat loudly. All recruits stopped what they were doing and turned to stand straight and look at their Commander.

"That, recruits, was an exercise to show you that you know _nothing_. Those were your protective instincts, and some of you have good, logical instincts while others seem to have none at all" Ronin announced to the recruits who looked confused and annoyed. Nod flinched at the harshness of Ronin's words. He wasn't sure this was the smartest way to deal with the recruiters but he knew that at the moment, he had no say.

"Who got under his skin?" Nod heard a recruit mumble too loudly than intended. He knew that considering he had heard it, Ronin had too.

"Recruiter, step up, front and center" Ronin called loudly, staring at the young man who had dared comment on Ronin's attitude. The young man stepped forward. He was well built and obviously too confident in it for his own good. He dared stand there with a smug smile.

"Wipe that smile off your face or I will do it for you" Ronin threatened, but to everyone's surprise the guy's smile only grew wider. Before he knew it, he was on the ground, face pressed into the rock ground. Ronin was the one to smile then, knowing there was no way the guy could get up in the hold he was in.

"Ronin" Nod spoke up, but Ronin only glared at him. Nod had had enough of Ronin's anger being taken out on their recruits. Ronin was scaring them and that wasn't the point. Ronin and Nod were supposed to be preparing them for any battle that may have to be fought.

"This is what happens when you think that you are in any way above me. I am your commander and when I command you to do something, you _will_ do it without attitude, doubt, or challenge" Ronin said smashing the guy's face further into the ground.

"Commander!" a voice yelled across the training site. The voice was linked to Jonah and Nod was never as thankful to see him.

"Ronin, let the young man go" Jonah yelled, making his way towards Ronin. Jonah didn't seem angry or afraid (for the young man), his voice betrayed not a thing. Ronin sneered at him and then let go of the young man. The young man scrambled up and stood, a smile no longer gracing his face. Jonah walked up to come stand beside Ronin and when Ronin was about to step towards the young man, Jonah held him back and gave him a look that said 'back off'. Jonah then stepped forward and looked the man up and down before speaking.

"You will respect those above you and you will _learn_ to do so if you have to. If you EVER do that again I myself will make sure that you get the beating you deserve to get from Commander Ronin. AM I CLEAR?" Jonah said to the guy, a sure threat evident in his voice. All the young man could do was nod.

"Name" Ronin demanded.

"Joshua sir, Joshua Bentley" the young man said, his voice wavering.

"Joshua, you pull that shit again and you are no longer a recruit" Ronin said loud and clear for all to hear. It was a warning to all.

The sun was starting to set and training day had gone quickly. Ronin wanted all of them gone, he had had enough of their incompetence for one day.

"Scatter, disperse, get out here" Ronin said, his voice calm. No one had to hear him say it twice because in a flash, all the recruits had cleared out.

"Go for a walk Ronin, and take Nod, he looks like he needs the air too" Jonah said, more a friend than anything else. Jonah was Ronin's best warrior and longest friend so he had no problem taking his advice.

"Thanks Jonah. Let's go Nod" Ronin said quietly, turning on his heel knowing that Nod walked after him. Ronin and Nod had walked for a good 10 minutes through the forest on the leafmen territory when Ronin was finally going to say something. Just as he was about to though, he clamped his mouth shut and his face took on the expression of confusion. When Nod looked to see what had Ronin so confused he was surprised to see Acacia standing in a small clearing with a man that neither recognized.

"Who is this?" Ronin asked making himself and Nod known to her and the stranger. His question was directed towards Acacia and even if she didn't look fully healed, he was sure to notice that she looked a hell of a lot better than she did the day before. Acacia looked shocked and almost trapped. She looked at the man before her and then at Nod and Ronin.

"You probably shouldn't be out of the healing center" Nod commented, knowing that even if she looked better, it didn't mean she had miraculously healed and was back to being 100%. Ronin nodded his agreement to her and then made sure to stare at the stranger who still stood beside Acacia.

"Healing center? Why, what happened?" The stranger asked, looking closely at Acacia with what looked like genuine concern.

"You didn't tell your friend Acacia?" Ronin asked, knowing that in her mind she knew he was backing her into a corner.

"Are you hurt? Are you okay? What happened?" The stranger continued to question, but Acacia stood her ground and said nothing. She glared at Ronin, and refused to look at Nod.

Ronin gave Acacia a hard look and stared straight at her when he said, "Acacia here got herself caught up in _black magic_."

The stranger watched Acacia and Ronin closely, and the expression on her face after he said 'black magic' was the only confirmation needed to know that Ronin had hit too close to home with the statement he made.

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**So... please tell me what you think with a review and I hope to put up a new chapter soon :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Here is my third chapter and I'm happy to put it up. I'm actually pretty happy with how it ended so I hope you like it too :) Big thanks to Lauren, Anna-Marie and Brianna :D You guys, I was so happy to see your reviews so thank you so much! They meant a lot to me and definitely had me writing even though I hadn't really planned to cause school just started up. My best friend had been nagging me to write soon and then I saw you guys' reviews and knew I had to write a third chapter ASAP ;) The power of reviews! ;P Anyways, as always excuse any grammar and spelling mistakes and I hope you enjoy it. :)**

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Ronin took a good look at the guy standing next to Acacia. He was taller than her by some and had short, black hair. The man had some obvious muscle packed on him and ice, blue eyes that put his own eyes to shame.

"Acacia, who is this?" Nod asked, noticing that Acacia hadn't said a word yet. He had expected her to rant at Ronin after he mentioned 'black magic', but she said nothing at all. Nod could tell that the fact that Ronin had said it all had been a shock to Acacia, but his curiosity concerning the man with Acacia was driving him nuts.

"Acacia" Nod spoke after Acacia said nothing, his voice low in warning. He knew that he did not scare her, but he was getting impatient. Ronin however, did not take his eyes off of the stranger. The stranger was not in any way intimidated, but stood very confused and obviously concerned for Acacia.

"My name is Tyler" the stranger said, answering for Acacia. He took the time to quickly glance at Nod before looking back at Ronin.

"Tyler… What is your business here Tyler?" Ronin said, voice commanding.

"Cassie is my business here" Tyler responded. He then looked to Acacia who stood stiff and staring at the ground.

"I haven't heard anyone call Acacia 'Cassie' in years" Nod whispered to himself. Kallan, Acacia's brother, used to call her Cassie, and after he passed away she barely let anyone call her Cassie. Nod, for one, was not allowed to. On the other hand, they had had their own issues at the time and those issues and more still stood between them now.

"Are you the reason why she went into the Budding Meadows?" Ronin asked, automatic blame coming into play. Ronin didn't know what else to think. It was obvious that this meeting between Tyler and Acacia was meant to be secret, private. What else was he supposed to think?

"She did what? You went where?" Tyler almost yelled. Nod and Ronin both did not expect that reaction and looked startled. Tyler was now looking solely at Acacia. Acacia seemed to shrink under his glare.

"Cassie, spit it out, now. What did you go do?" Tyler said, voice raised. His sudden anger had Ronin and Nod stepping forward in case of anything. They both felt the need to keep Acacia safe, and if that meant manhandling Tyler then so be it. Reluctant was an understatement. Acacia didn't just look reluctant, she looked as if she was about to cry under his intense scrutiny. Tyler was not about to let up and they all knew it.

"She came back with a bunch of small vials with white, whispy things in them" Ronin said finally, trying to take the pressure off Acacia. Tyler on the other hand looked shocked.

"How many?" He asked immediately.

"About 10 or more" Ronin answered, starting to get curious himself. Tyler didn't ask what they were because he knew. Tyler knew what those things were.

"What are those things?" Ronin asked, placing the pressure on Tyler. Nod's eyes narrowed while he looked at Tyler. Now he also needed to know what Tyler knew. Tyler had vital information, because if Nod and Ronin could figure out what those vials were then they could look into what exactly went down in Budding Meadows.

"10…10 vials or more…" Tyler repeated, "How did you get so many?" Acacia looked up from the ground to Tyler's confused face. She knew what was going to come after. The realization would hit Tyler and it would get her into a load of trouble with him.

"What did you trade for them?" Tyler said suddenly, grabbing onto Acacia's arms so she was forced to face him, "Acacia, this is no joke. What did you give up? What did you _do_?" And there it was, the realization Acacia was hoping would not come up so quickly. Tyler's hands on her upper arms tightened on her as he asked her again and again. It got to the point where he started to shake her, and Ronin and Nod could no longer stand by and watch Tyler's rough questioning.

"Hands off" Nod growled at Tyler while he pushed Tyler in the chest as hard as possible to get him away from Acacia. Nod knew Ronin would back him up if things went south, though he so hoped they wouldn't. He had pushed Tyler hard enough to have him let go of Acacia, but now Tyler looked even angrier than he was before.

"Don't _touch_ me" Tyler growled back, giving Nod a hard shove. In the background, Tyler could hear Acacia yell at him. Nod was shoved back into Acacia, making them both fall back. Before Acacia could fall Ronin grabbed her under the arms, but for Nod there was no one to catch him. Nod fell right on his backside, looking up at a fuming Tyler.

"TYLER!" Acacia yelled to get Tyler's attention off of Nod. When Tyler looked up at her the anger seemed to disappear from his eyes and he suddenly looked concerned. Acacia stood holding a hand to her stomach, teeth clenched in pain.

"Tyler" she said softly. Tyler's look of concern molded into a look of shame. Nod in the meantime got up to stand next to Ronin who stood behind Acacia. Acacia started to make her way towards Tyler when Ronin took her wrist in his large hand. Acacia turned to look at Ronin and smiled, assuring him she was fine and Tyler would not hurt her. Ronin slowly and reluctantly let go of her wrist. The moment Acacia reached Tyler she gripped onto his shirt to keep herself upright. Tyler could see her struggle and automatically put his hands around her waist to steady her.

"She needs to get back to the healing center" Nod declared, eyebrows knit together in worry. He could see that she was having a hard time, and it bothered him that she was even out of the healing center. Tyler could not argue with that so he swiftly picked Acacia up causing her to groan. Ronin lead the way to the healing center with Tyler holding Acacia behind him, and Nod walking behind Tyler.

Once they got into the healing center and put Acacia down on a bed, Mother Lorellei came into view. She was holding herbs in her hands and had dirt all over her shoes and the bottom of her dress. Most likely she had gone into her herbal garden to get what she needed. Mother Lorellei, seeing Tyler, Ronin and Nod next to a bed with a pained Acacia, quickly put away her herbs before she walked over to the bed.

"Let me see dear child" she urged while tugging Acacia's hands away from her stomach. When Acacia's hands were removed from her stomach there was a blood stain on her dress and blood on her hands. Tyler gasped at the blood and Ronin and Nod stepped back to give Mother Lorellei some space to work. Seeing that Tyler wasn't moving, Ronin and Nod yanked him back getting them an angry glare from Tyler.

The three men watched as Mother Lorellei made a whole in Acacia's dress to get better access to her stomach. She had patched it up, but almost falling must have caused Acacia to pop to stitches. Acacia hissed loudly and cursed a blue streak under her breath when Mother Lorellei put pressure on the wound trying to staunch the bleeding while she listed herbs that she would need to herself.

"Nod, dear boy, put pressure on the wound for me" Mother Lorellei demanded, already starting to move towards her herb cabinet. Nod quickly took over and soon regretted it. Acacia's blood seeping through his hands was making him feel helpless. It was like being a caged animal. Ronin understood that Mother Lorellei had asked Nod to do it instead of him because she wanted him to keep Tyler in check. Tyler was starting to get antsy and she had noticed. Mother Lorellei came back up to the other side of the bed with a brown, mushy-looking paste.

"This is going to burn" Mother Lorellei warned before moving Nod's hands slightly away from part of the wound and smearing a thick layer of the paste onto it. The moment Acacia screamed and started to move underneath Nod's hands Ronin and Tyler both lurched forward to hold her down. Tyler stood next to Nod holding Acacia down on one side while Ronin stood next to Mother Lorellei holding her down on the other.

Nod again moved his hands away from part of her wound and Mother Lorellei again smeared some of the paste onto it. And again, Acacia screamed and yelled under their hands. Tyler was going crazy with all her screaming. He hated that she was in so much, that he couldn't take the pain from her and that he didn't even know what had happened to cause this pain.

"Shhh, it's okay Cassie, shhh" Tyler whispered in Acacia's ear trying to soothe her. It didn't seem to work though because Acacia continued to scream and thrash.

"Can't you give her something for the pain?" Nod yelled desperately over Acacia's screams. Tears were streaming down his face as he did his best to keep pressure on the wound.

"Keep moving your hands for me" was all Mother Lorellei said before she continued to apply the brown paste to the wound.

Darkness had come upon them and the stars shone bright. Mother Lorellei had just finished applying the paste while Acacia took harsh, shallow breaths. Nod stood staring at the blood on his hands while Tyler held Acacia's hand and caressed her hair.

"Come on, let's get going" Ronin said quietly taking Nod to wash his hands at a small stream before making his way to Nod and MK's home. Before Nod and Ronin left, Ronin made sure to thank Mother Lorellei with a gentle kiss on the cheek and glare at Tyler.

Ronin and Nod were both silent as they walked towards MK and Nod's home. It occurred to Nod that Ronin hadn't split to go to his own home and was still walking with him.

"Thank you" Nod said to Ronin knowing that Ronin would know what he meant. Ronin nodded but didn't say a word. Reaching MK and Nod's home Ronin realized that Nod coming home with blood all over his clothes was going to put MK into overdrive. Nod looked down at his clothes and sighed before walking into the hut type home that MK and himself had grown to love. The moment Ronin and Nod walked into the hut they saw MK standing in the kitchen cooking dinner. Nod couldn't help but smile at the sight. MK always did her best to cook before he got home so that he could come home to dinner on the table and a cozy, warm atmosphere.

"Hey sweetheart, how was your da—" MK said turning towards them and stopping midsentence. The blood on Nod's shirt was dark and sticky, stopping her in her place.

"Nod…I…Is that…NOD!" MK stuttered before rushing over to Nod and pulling up his shirt. Relief washed over her at the sight of Nod's not-bleeding stomach. MK sighed and fell forward onto Nod's chest. If Nod hadn't held onto her, she would've fallen.

"Woah hey, you alright there?" Nod asked, worried for the woman he loved like no other. He felt MK nod into his chest and held onto her hugging her. Nod knew he had scared her, and he hadn't meant to but he hadn't thought about washing his shirt in the stream before coming home. He was lucky to have MK in his life. She meant so much to him, and what made it better was the fact that most probably she didn't even realize that he couldn't live without her. They weren't even married and yet Nod knew he would never leave her.

"I…um…made dinner" MK said quietly, struggling to get her words out. The shock was still registering, as was the fact that Nod was perfectly healthy and that the blood was not his.

"Would you like to stay Ronin?" MK asked Ronin, finally untangling herself from Nod's arms. Ronin smiled gratefully and nodded causing MK to smile kindly at him. MK walked back into the kitchen, a bit wobbly still, and continued stirring whatever was on the stove type mechanism they had in their little home.

"What's for dinner?" Nod asked casually, trying to ignore the tension that had been created.

"Whose blood is it?" MK asked in response.

"Acacia's" Ronin answered simply. MK turned around to face them so fast that both Ronin and Nod thought she would fall.

"Did something else happen? Is she alright?" MK questioned both men. MK seemed truly concerned over the girl that she had never met and it made Nod wonder why. She turned back around just as quickly as she had before, making Nod wonder what she knew or had heard. MK hadn't heard him say that he was Acacia's brother, right? Nod knew that if MK knew, she would treat Acacia like her own sister and that warmed his heart, but she couldn't know, not yet. There was a lot attached to the fact that Acacia was his sister and Nod was just _not_ ready to get into it.

Nod then remembered that Ronin had never mentioned it again, and that other than being hard on him today, it had not come up anymore. It also struck him that Ronin helped him get the blood off his hands, and that Ronin walked him home even though he was obviously angry at him that day. Ronin was loyal to a fault and that's what Nod liked about him. For those who had Ronin as a friend, they never had to worry about his loyalty for it was always there and it never faltered.

"She's fine, someone's staying with her" Ronin answered, seeing that Nod was deep in thought. He also wondered at MK's interest in Acacia, but knew that Nod was bound to ask MK about it. Ronin was not going to be the one to tick her off with such a questioning.

"Why do you ask?" Nod asked slowly, knowing that asking this question could get him a lot of defensiveness on MK's part.

"There is _a lot_ of blood on your shirt" MK responded, not turning to look at him. The answer made Nod even more curious because he had expected a rant from her part. A rant all about how it was right for her to worry about someone else's well-being, and that she had the right to be curious and wonder. MK's response seemed so…_cold_.

"Dinner might take a while longer, wash up before dinner please?" MK asked quietly. Nod just nodded to her back and walked away to wash up and get out of the bloody shirt and into clean pants.

Ronin stood staring at MK's back. The response she had given Nod was a strange one. He expected more from MK, but she didn't even turn to look at Nod when she answered. When MK had stayed behind to protect the pod she had not only gained Ronin's respect and trust, but also his friendship. Ronin knew how much MK loved Nod and how much Nod loved her, and he couldn't help but envy it and feel the need to protect her _for_ Nod. To Ronin it was like watching a son of his own be in love. Nod had become like a son to him and if MK was Nod's world and stability, then that was who he would protect and care for if and when needed. Either way, MK was his friend and he worried over her cold way of answering. Ronin had never seen her like that.

"Mary Katherine…is something going on?" Ronin asked carefully, walking to stand at the counter next to the stove. He stood with his back to the counter so that he could see her face clearly. MK seemed to be mulling something over in her mind while she cooked. Ronin knew she had heard him so he said nothing while he waited for her to speak.

"Does Nod love her?" MK asked, looking at Ronin with tears shining in her eyes. Ronin was surprised by the question, and shocked that that was what was going through MK's mind.

"Does Nod love Acacia? Mary Katherine…No! He loves you like no other and you should not doubt his love for you" Ronin said very sure of himself. Ronin could understand how MK had come to that conclusion, but he felt sorry that it was this that was bothering her. He could see that something else was still bothering MK and decided to try his luck.

"Is there something else?" Ronin pushed, stepping closer to MK so that he was facing her. Just then, Nod walked into the living room area and MK turned to look at Nod and then at Ronin.

"It's nothing" she said smiling lightly before sighing, turning off the stove and walking towards a cabinet to get plates and cups.

Ronin knew better than that but figured it was better not to continue pushing MK. Whatever it was that was still eating at her, he would have to figure out when Nod was not around.

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**So... What'd you guys think? Any requests on what MK's other issue or secret should be? Hope you enjoyed and please review :D**


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